Container brushing machine



June 12A, 1951 A F, DARRAH 2,556,389

CONTAINER BRUSHING MACHINE Inventor Arthur E Darrah/////////////////////////////////////1/11 41mss\\\\\\\\\\m\\\\\\\\\\w A.F. DARRAH CONTAINER BRUSHING MACHINE June 12, .1.951

2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Aug. 3, '1949 Nm hv Inventor Armar E Darm/7entire area of the bottom is Patented June 12, 1951 UNITED STATES ATENTOFFICE CONTAINER BRUSHING MACHINE Arthur F. Darrah, Rochester, Vt.

Application August 3, 1949, Serial No. 108,285

3 Claims. f (Cl. 15-72) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in structural refinements in brushing machines forcontainers such as buckets, etc., and the principal object of theinvention is to facilitate cleaning of the interior of such containers,particularly, the bottom of such containers, this being effected in ahighly convenient, expeditious manner.

In particular, the instant invention concerns itself with certainimprovements in the device which constitutes the subject matter of mycopending application, Serial Number 55,796, filed on October 27, 1948,dealing generally with a device of this type. Thus, this application isa continuation-in-part'of my earlier application above identified.However, while the device disclosed in my earlier application is welladapted for the purpose for which it is intended, I found that the samelends itself to certain improvements, particularly in the means forbrushing the interior of the bottom of containers, and the primaryfeature of the apparatus herein disclosed, therefore, resides in thespecific structural arrangement of my improved means for brushing thecontainer bottom in such manner that the contacted by the scrubbingbrush unit.

Some of the advantages of the invention, as in my previous device, liein its simplicity of conlstruction, in its convenient and expeditiousoperation, and in its adaptability to use on containers of differentsizes and types.

With the above more important objects and features in View and suchother objects and features as may become apparent as this specificationproceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement andconstruction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional View, taken substantially in the plane ofthe line 2 2 in Figure l, and, showing the brushes in their extendedposition;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view, similar to that shown in Figure 2,but showing the brushes retracted;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional detail, taken Substantially in the planeof the line 4 4 in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view, taken substantially in the plane ofline 5 5 in Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a brush holder used in the invention;and,

Figure 7 is a perspective View of one of the brush sections or membersused therein.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in thespecification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the generalreference character l0 designates a container brushing machine such asis generally disclosed in my aforesaid co-pending application, the sameembodying in its construction a tube i2 which is rotatably mounted in asuitable bearing I4 and is rotated in any convenient manner.

A shaft I8 is slidably positioned in the tube l2, sliding thereof beingeffected by means of a pivoted lever 2G which operatively engages abearing unit 22 provided with diametrically projecting trunnions 2li, asis shown in Figure l. That is to say, the trunnions 24 of the bearing 22are disposed in suitable slots 26 formed in a forked end portion of thelever 2&1, so that by simply moving the lever from the position shown infull lines in Figure 1 to the position shown by the dotted lines 28, theshaft i8 may be slid in the tube I 2 from left to right and vice versa.

Pairs of brackets 30 are welded or otherwise secured to an intermediateportion of the tube I2 and a set of bell cranks 32 are pivoted as at 34to these brackets, the bell cranks 32 carrying at one end thereofsuitable pivotally mounted brushes 36 adapted to scrub the inner surfaceof the side wall of the container, while the remaining ends of the bellcranks are operatively connected by means of pivoted links 38 to a pairof trunnions 40 which are provided at diametrically opposite sides ofthe shaft I8 and are slidable in longitudinally extending slots i2 withwhich the intermediate portion of the tube l2 is formed. It will beapparent from the foregoing that by simply imparting rotation to thetube l2 and sliding the shaft I8 so that the lever 28 occupies theposition indicated at 28, the brushes 3G will be pressed outwardly fromthe tube l2 into engagement with the side wall of the container, thelatter being indicated at t4.

The structure as above described is very similar to that disclosed in myearlier, co-pending application, and the instant invention deals withimproved means for scrubbing the inner surface of the bottom 46 of thecontainer 411, which means will now be described.

These means involve the provisions of a brush unit designated generallyby the reference character 48, consisting of a channel-shaped holder56), best shown in Figure 6, which has secured to the center portionthereof a cylindrical shank 52, slidable in and projectable outwardlyfrom the free end portion of the aforementioned tube I2. To assuresimultaneous rotation of the brush member 8 with the tube I2, adiametrically eX- tending pin 54 is provided on the shank I8 and isslidable in a pair of slots 56 provided in the tube, while an additionalpin 58 extends transversely of the tube and is slidable in a pair ofslots 66 with which the shank 52 is formed. A compression spring 62 ispositioned between the shank and the tube, one end of the Vspringbearing against the pin vEll while the remaining end thereof bearsagainst the pin 58, whereby the brush assembly 48 is urged in engagementwith the bottom 46 of the container 44.

The brush unit i5 also includes a `pair of brush sections 64, equippedwith individual, vchannelshaped holders 66, which are juxtaposed andslidable in the holder 56, as will lbe Y'clearly apparent. The holders66 or the brush sections v6d are equipped with suitable studs 63 whichare slidable in pairs of slots i6 with which the holder 350 is formed,the studs or screws 68 extending through the brush sections 6s as well`as through the holders 6%, 5D, so that the brush sections are not onlyretained in position in the respective holders 66, but so that the brushsections, including the holders 65, are retained in position in theholder A pair of iieXible cables i2 are connected at one end to theaforementioned trunnions di), while the remaining end of each cable isconnected to one of the studs 6B of the respective brush sections te, itbeing noted that the cables l2 pass around suitable guide pulleys 'iswhich are mounted on the holder d6. These pulleys are so arranged thatthe cables i2 extend to opposite sides of the tube i2, it being apparentfrom the foregoing that when the apparatus is in operation and the shafti3 is slid in the tube i2 so as to engage the brushes 36 with the sidewalls of the container, the cables 'i2 will be drawn Vin the directionof the arrow .78 (see Figure l) and the brush sections will be slid inrelatively opposite directions, outwardly from the holder 56, so thatthey span the entire Vdiameter of the container bottom d6.

However, means are provided for retracting the Abrush sections 6ft afterthe lever 26 is actuated so as to draw the brushes toward the tube l2,these last mentioned means consisting of a pair of tension springs 8B,connected at one end to f,

studs 68 of the brush sections, while the remaining ends of the springsare anchored on suitable posts or detents 62 with which the holder 5B isprovided.

.scription thereof at this point is deemed unneceSSaTY.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferredembodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changesin the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed Aas new is:

l. In a machine for brushing the interior of a cylindrical container,the combination of a rotatable tube, a plurality of outwardly andinwardly swingable levers pivoted to said tube, brushes mounted on saidlevers and adapted to engage `the side Wall of a container, a shaftslidable in said tube, trunnions secured to said shaft and projectingoutwardly through longitudinally extending slots provided in said tube,links pivoted to said trunnions and to said levers whereby said brushesmay be swung inwardly and outwardly by the sliding of said shaft, anadditional brush -umt adapted to engage the bottom of a container andcomprising a channel-shaped holder mounted transversely at one end ofsaid tube, a `pair of juxtaposed brush sections slidable in oppositedirections and projectable from opposite ends of said holders, resilientmeans for retracting said brush sections vinto the holder, and meansresponsive to the sliding of said shaft for projecting said brushsections.

2. The device as dened in claimv 1 wherein said last mentioned meansinclude guide pulleys mounted on said holder, and exible elementspassing around said pulleys and Yconnected at one end to said brushsections, the remaining ends of said lelements being connected to saidtrunnions.

3. rEhe device as deiined in claim l together with a spring pressedshank slidabie in yone end portion of said tube, said holder lbeingmounted on said shank.

ARTHUR F. DARRAH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 371,366 Roberts Oct. ll, 18871,240,860 Levy Sept. 25, 1917 .1,685,328 Kogler Sept. 25, 1928 FOREIGNPATENTS Number `Country Date 336,067 France Feb. 26, 1904

